Sound producing reed structure



2, 1955 G. PROLL SOUND PRODUCING REED STRUCTURE Filed NOV. 13, 1952 INVENTOR. guy/Q14 P1022, W

Jijafyg SOUND PRODUCENG REED STRUCTURE Gustave Proll, Newark, N. J. Application November 13, 1252, Serial No. 320,193 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-180) This invention relates to an improved sound pro ducing device of the vibratory reed type which is perative in response to a blast of air caused to flow outward therethrough, and which is especially adapted for use in connection with hollow rubber and other compressible toys and the like.

Sound producing devices of the vibratory reed type, as designed for use in connection with hollow rubber or other compressible toys or the like, usually comprise a reed element and a passaged supporting member upon which the reed is mounted. In use, the supporting member is afiixed to the body wall of the toy or the like so as to extend into the interior of the latter to dispose the reed therein. Since the reed is formed from very thin sheet metal or plastic material which can, if forcibly contacted, be easily deformed or rendered inoperative for proper sound producing vibratory action, there is considerable risk of damaging the reed when assembling the device with a toy desired to be served thereby, should the reed be accidentally brought into contact with the body wall or structure of the toy. Even though without damage to the reed, the device is successfully assembled with a toy to be served thereby, there is still risk of damage to the reed if, from any cause, the body wall or structure of the toy is brought into engagement therewith when compressing the toy to force air outwardly through the device for sound producing effect.

Considering the above, it is an object of this invention to provide a sound producing device of the vibratory reed type wherein the reed element thereof is mounted on a passaged supporting member or holder which is provided with means disposed in guarding relation to the free vibratable end portion of said reed eiement, so that said guard means protects and shields said reed element by serving as a fender operative to ward off contacts with the latter of anything likely to deform or otherwise damage the same.

The above and other objects of this invention will be understood from a reading of the following detailed description of the invention in connection with the a companying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a hollow rubber toy having a substantially tubular passage opening out from its interior, and showing a sound producing device comprising a reed holder with a reed element supported thereby, said device being operatively mounted in said passage, and said reed holder being provided with one form of reed guard means according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sound producing device of Fig. I removed from the toy body, and drawn on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 3 is an inner end elevational view of said sound producing device drawn on a further enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a sound producing device, the reed holder of which is provided with a modified form of reed guard means; Fig. 5 is an inner end elevational view of the same, drawn on an enlarged rates Patent Of" 2,714,275 Patented Aug. 2, 1955 scale; and Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. 5, but showing another modified form of reed guard means.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a hollow rubber toy, to the wall of which is attached, by one form of attachment means, a sound producing device the reed holder of which is provided with a further modified form of reed guard means; and Fig. 8 is an inner end elevational view of said producing device of Fig. 7, drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of a hollow rubber toy, to the wall of which is attached, by another form of attachment means, a sound producing device the reed holder of which is provided with still another modified form of reed guard means; and Fig. 10 is an inner end elevational view of the sound producing device of Fig. 9.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, the sound producing device comprises a one-piece holder with which is assembled, in operative relation thereto, a reed element adapted to vibrate, with sound producing effect, in response to a blast of air caused to flow past the same and through the interior of the holder.

Said holder comprises a hollow anchoring thimble portion 11 of circular cross-section. Formed integrally with the thimble portion 11 is an upwardly open reed supporting member 12. This reed supporting member extends longitudinally from the thimble portion 11, in a plane beneath the central longitudinal axis of the latter, with its underside or bottom in substantial alignment with the underside or bottom of said thimble portion. The reed supporting member is of semi-circular cross-section and is formed at its free end with an end wall 13. As thus formed, the reed supporting member provides a longitudinal air passage 14. Outwardly projecting from the marginal side and end edges of the reed supporting member 12 is a horizontal peripheral flange 15. The top width of the reed supporting member 12, including its peripheral flange 15, is somewhat less than the diametric width of the thimble portion 11 from which it extends, and preferably the flanged top of said supporting member is slightly downwardly and outwardly inclined longitudinally, whereby to provide a small intervening air space between the free end of said supporting member and the free end portion of a reed element, when the latter is mounted upon and affixed to said supporting member. Formed integrally with and across the upper part of the inner end of the thimble portion 11 is a transverse stopper wall 16, the lower transverse margin of which lies substantially coincident to the plane of the flanged top of the supporting member 12. Said stopper wall 16 thus closes the interior of the thimble portion 11 against flow of air therethrough except by way of the passage 14 of the reed supporting member 12, which passage joins in communication with the interior of the thimble portion 11.

The reed element of the sound producing device is formed from thin sheet metallic or plastic material, but preferably from brass, and comprises a reed tongue 17 which is peripherally shaped conformably to the top of the reed supporting member 12, so as to overlie and cover the air passage 14 thereof. Said reed tongue 17 preferably extends from a base section 18 of suitable length and of a width exceeding the overall width of the flanged top of the reed supporting member 12, whereby to provide, along the longitudinal margins of said base section 18, laterally extending clinching lips 19, which are turned down around and beneath the underlying portions of the flange 15 of the reed supporting member, thus securely attaching the reed element in operative assembled It will be understood that the relation to the holder.

above described method and means for attaching the reed to the holder is but illustrative of one form of attachment, therefore any other suitable means of reed element attachment may be employed.

Connected with the free end of the supporting member 12 of the holder is a guard means so disposed in relation to the free end portion of the reed tongue 17 as to prevent possibility of the delicate reed tongue being brought, with risk of injury thereto, in contact with any portion of a toy or like body during the operation of assembling the sound producing device therewith, and also so as to fend away from said delicate reed tongue possible damaging contact therewith of portions of the toy or like body when, in use, said body is compressed to expel actuating air therefrom outwardly through the sound producing device.

The guard means may be selectively provided in various forms. For example, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the guard means comprises a guard disc 20 joined by a connecting neck 21 to the end wall 13 of the reed supporting member 12, so as to stand perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the holder in upward projection outwardly of and adjacently across the free end of the reed tongue 17. In this form of the guard means, the guard disc 20 is imperforate, but is of less diameter than the maximum diameter of the holder, so that air may readily pass around the periphery of said guard disc for outward flow through the holder with reed tongue vibrating effect.

In another form of the guard means, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the same also comprises a guard disc 22 likewise supported from the end wall 13 of the supporting member 12 by a connecting neck 23, so as to upstand outwardly of and adjacently across the free end of the reed tongue 17. In this form, the diameter of the guard disc 22 substantially corresponds to the maximum diameter of the holder, but its periphery is cut away at sides of its upper hemisphere to provide indenting air passages 24 to give access of air to the holder for outward flow therethrough with reed tongue vibrating effect. A modification of this form of guard means is shown in Fig. 6, wherein the body of the guard disc 22 is provided in its upper hemisphere with a plurality of perforations 25 instead of the side indenting air passages 24.

Another optional form of guard means is shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and comprises a transverse arcuate guard hood 26, which is connected by its ends to the free end portion of the supporting member 12, so as to extend above and across the free end portion of the reed tongue 17 in spaced overhanging and enclosing relation thereto. This guard hood is of a diameter not in excess of the maximum diameter of the holder, whereby to readily pass through a seating passage or Wall opening of a toy or other body which is to receive the sound producing device for operative assembly therewith.

Still another optional form of guard means is shown in Figs. 9 and 10, and comprises a guard tongue 27, which is connected by its base 28 with the end wall 13 of the supporting member 12, so as to project upwardly therefrom adjacent to the free end portion of the reed tongue 17; said guard tongue preferably terminating in an inwardly directed, angular free end portion 29 spaced above said free end portion of the reed tongue 17 in overhanging relation thereto.

The above described forms of guard means are but illustrative, and it will be understood that other specific variations of guard means form may be provided and used so long as the relation thereof to the free end of the reed tongue is adapted to effect the guarding and fending functions substantially as above set forth.

The holder of the sound producing device may be 0ptionally provided with various means by which to attach the same to a toy or other body in operative assembled relation thereto, so that a selected attachment means appropriate to the given character or form of toy or other body may be used. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the toy or other body may comprise a hollow compressible body member 30 having a projecting portion thereof provided with a substantially tubular passage 31 opening outwardly from the interior thereof, in which passage the sound producing device can be lodged for communication with the body interior. In such case, the holder is forced into the tubular passage 31 so that its thimble portion 11 is frictionally embraced by constriction of the walls of said passage, and the reed supporting member 12, having a selected form of the reed guard means, is directed toward the body interior. In this arrangement, it will be obvious that, when inserting the holder unto the passage 31, the guard means will act as a fender to ward off any possible damaging contact of the reed tongue 17 with the walls of the passage 31 or with other interior parts of the toy or other body. It will also be understood that, when the holder is thus operatively assembled with the body member 30, the guard means will also prevent any damaging contact of the body walls or other interior body parts with the reed tongue 17 when the body member is compressed to expel air through the sound producing device.

Again, as shown in Fig. 7, the toy or other body may comprise a hollow resilient body member 32 having an opening in the wall thereof through which the sound producing device is projected into the hollow interior of the body and in fixed attachment to said wall. In such case, the thimble portion 11 of the holder may be provided, at its outer end, with longitudinally spaced annular flanges 33 and 34, which are adapted to receive and firmly embrace the marginal portions 35 of the wall opening, whereby to thus afiix the sound producing device in inwardly projected relation to the interior of said toy or other body. In this arrangement, the selected guard means, with which the holder is provided, will prevent damaging contact of said marginal portions 35 of the body wall opening with the reed tongue 17, when the holder is inserted through said opening during the assembling operation, and, likewise, said guard means will act as a fender to ward off any possible damaging contact with the reed tongue 17 of the body member 32, when the latter is compressed to expel air through the sound producing device.

In Fig. 9 is shown another form of attachment means by which the sound producing device can be operatively assembled with a hollow resilient toy or other body 32 having an opening in the wall thereof through which the sound producing device can be inserted. In this form of attachment means, the thimble portion 11 of the holder is provided, at its outer end, with an annular flange 36 from the inner face of which project a plurality of spike or nail elements 37 extending inward parallel to the longitudinal axis of the holder. Within the body 32 is disposed a housing block 38, and end of which is adapted to abut the inner face of the wall of the body 32, said block having an axial bore 39 aligned with the opening of said wall. The holder is inserted through said opening in the wall of the body 32 so as to extend into the bore 39 of said housing block 38. When the holder is so inserted, the spike or nail elements 37 of the flange 36 will be caused to pass through the marginal portions 35 of the wall opening, and then to penetrate the body of the housing block until the flange 36 of the thimble portion 11 clamps said marginal portions 35' of the wall opening against the opposed end of said housing block, thus securing the sound producing device in operative assembled relation to the toy or other body 32. In this arrangement also, the selected guard means will prevent damaging contact of the reed tongue 17 with the body wall or with the housing block when assembling the holder therewith; and also said guard means will act as a fender to ward off any possible damaging contact with the reed tongue of the body member 32, when the latter is compressed to expel '1 air through the sound producing device with which it is thus equipped.

It will be understood that, in use, any of the forms of reed guard means may be optionally employed with any selected above described or other form of means for attaching the reed guard equipped reed holder to a toy or other body to be served by the sound producing device.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A sound producing device for attachment to the wall of a compressible hollow toy body for projection A thereinto comprising a reed holder having a passaged anchoring means at its outer end to engage the toy body wall, said holder having an upwardly open channeled reed supporting member extending longitudinally inward from said anchoring means, with its open top disposed in a plane approximate to that of the longitudinal axis of the anchoring means, a reed element overlying the open top of said supporting member, with its base section affixed to the latter so that its free end portion is free to vibrate, said anchoring means having at its inner end a transverse stopper wall to close that portion of its passage which is aligned above the plane of the reed element, said supporting member having an end wall at its free end below and adjacent to the free end of the reed element, and a reed guard means connected with and outwardly offset relative to said end wall of the supporting member in guarding relation to the free end of the reed element.

2. A sound producing device for attachment to the Wall of a compressible hollow toy body for projection thereinto comprising a reed holder having a passaged anchoring means at its outer end to engage the toy body wall, said ,1 in holder having an upwardly open channeled reed supporting member extending longitudinally inward from said anchoring means, with its open top disposed in a plane approximate to that of the longitudinal axis of the anchoring means, a reed element overlying the open top of said supporting member, with its base section afiixed to the latter so that its free end portion is free to vibrate, said anchoring means having at its inner end a transverse stopper wall to close that portion of its passage which is aligned above the plane of the reed element, said supporting member having an end wall at its free end below and adjacent to the free end of the reed element, and a reed guard means connected with and outwardly offset relative to said end wall of the supporting member to extend perpendicularly upward across the plane of the reed element, outwardly of the free end of the latter, and thus in guarding relation thereto.

Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 181,490 Smith Aug. 22, 1876 626,827 Draughon June 13, 1899 1,649,722 Nunro Nov. 15, 1927 2,598,956 Wintriss June 3, 1952 2,612,723 Nicolin Oct. 7, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 425,296 France Jan. 27, 1911 761,981 Germany July 10, 1952 

